A wide range of agricultural implements have been developed and are presently in use for tilling, cultivating, harvesting, and so forth. Tillage implements, for example, are commonly towed behind tractors and may cover wide swaths of ground that include various types of residue. Accordingly, tillers typically include ground-engaging tools, such as shanks and tillage points, configured to condition the soil for improved moisture distribution while reducing soil compaction from such sources as machine traffic, grazing cattle, and standing water.
During tillage operations, various ground-engaging tools may impact a large impediment, such as a large rock, root, or other object within the ground. Such impacts can damage the ground-engaging tool and/or associated structure of the agricultural machine, such as a frame component of the agricultural machine. As a result, catastrophic failure of a component of the agricultural machine may occur yet remain undetected until a later time, such as an inspection of the agricultural machine after the tillage operation is complete. Continued operation of the tillage implement after the catastrophic failure can result in additional damage to the ground-engaging tool and/or associated structure.
Similarly, ground-engaging tools and/or associated structure can be repeatedly or cyclically stressed during tillage operations in a manner that can produce fatigue and/or crack growth. Such progressive failures may remain undetected and worsen until a later catastrophic failure occurs.
Accordingly, an improved system and method for detecting a damage condition associated with an agricultural machine that overcomes one or more of the issues in the prior art would be welcomed in the technology.